Dungeons & Dragons: Search for Lost Lives
by Jindo5
Summary: The knight, Sir Nicolas Primion of Callisway III, and the bard, Beetle Blackfeather, aid the mysterious paladin, Scarlett, as she traverses Faerun in search of knowledge of her past life. As they travel they learn more and more about their female companion, but there is one secret Scarlett hopes they never learn.
1. Chapter 1: The Lady and her Knight

Sir Nicolas yawned and looked up at the sky, his trusty steed knew where they were headed and did not need his guidance. It was a beautiful day, the sky was a clear blue, the sun was high and air was comfortably chilly.

He looked down to his steed, Strongwing, a dragonnel he met as a child. It was a stormy night back then, he had run away from his home, a fortress located between Hillsfar and Yûlash known as Callisway, and had run into the forests of Cormanthor. In the forest he was suddenly surrounded by Drow.

He couldn't clearly remember what happened and why, but he remembered Strongwing running in with a deafening roar. His mighty claws slashing the throats of the stunned Drow. After saving him, Strongwing brought him home and his parents rewarded the creature by allowing it to stay.

The two had been friends ever since, and when Nicolas had grown to a strong man, and a fully trained Knight, Strongwing accepted him as his rider. Nicolas had accepted his title as Sir Nicolas Primion of Callisway III with Strongwing by his side.

They had been on many adventures together, they had fought dragons in the Forest of Wyrms, raced nomads in the Plains of Purple Dust, battled Goblins in the Jungle of Chult and tested their strength with the Dwarves of Icewind Dale. Strongwing had been a good and loyal friend, and he was going to stay that way for many years to come.

He looked over his shoulder at the woman sitting behind him in the saddle. Her name was Scarlett. A wandering Paladin he met just a couple years ago, on one of his adventures. She told him that she was wandering the land, following glimpses of memories from a past life. Nicolas wasn't sure whether to believe her or not, but he knew that a paladin could always be trusted, as were the common knowledge of any adventurer, so he decided to aid her on her quest. This quest had taken them around most of Faerun, and they were now on their way to Neverwinter. Scarlett had seen her past self riding in there on a horse and entering an inn. It seemed that the more they followed her memories, the more she remembered. And so they flew over the land on Strongwing, and after a few weeks, Neverwinter was finally within view.

"We're almost there, milady." Nicolas said. "Soon, we'll be able to rest up properly." Scarlett smiled. "Rest up properly?" She asked in a teasing tone. "Are you saying that the hard ground is too much for a big, strong knight such as yourself, Nicolas?" Nicolas laughed. "You've got me there, milady, I must admit that I am still not quite used to sleeping in a tent for several days in a row." He looked at Scarlett again. He wasn't sure why her name was Scarlett. It was clearly the color scarlet turned into a name, but there wasn't a hint of anything red on her. Her long, wavy hair was a dark brown, and so were her eyes. There was no sign of makeup on her face, and her lips weren't naturally red. He had asked her about this before, but the only response he got was '_my sisters gave me this name_'. He didn't know exactly what she meant by that, but he decided not pry any further.

"It's rude to stare, Sir Nicolas." Scarlett said with a teasing smile. Sir Nicolas was forced out of his train of thought and blinked several times before looking up at the sky again. "My apologies, milady, I was caught up in thoughts." As he looked up, he saw something above them. A great beast was flying right above them, it's black scales glistened in the sunlight. Sir Nicolas looked at it, he could tell that Strongwing had noticed it as well. "_Steady, my friend._" He spoke to his loyal steed in the tongue of the dragons, as this was the only way to communicate with him. He could tell that Scarlett had seen it too, she was holding her breath. He could hear the sound of metal sliding along metal as she drew her sword. "Has it seen us?" She asked, Sir Nicolas glared at it. "Even if it hasn't, it can easily smell us from here." Scarlett shifted in the saddle, she had both legs on the same side of Strongwing. Sir Nicolas could tell what she was planning, and knew that it would be impossible to speak her out of it. She was a paladin, and that black dragon was the very definition of evil. He told Strongwing to fly above it, and be ready to dive.

The dragon roared when it saw the golden creature zip past it. It roared again when it's eye was pierced by a mighty blade, Scarlett had leaped off the saddle just as Strongwing passed the dragon's eye and stabbed it with her mighty Great Sword. Strongwing continued his upward flight, and Nicolas drew his sword and jumped off. He landed in the giant beast's head and held his sword high, just as he was about to swing his blade, it burst into flames. The dragon roared in blind anger as the knight plunged his flaming sword into it's other eye. It spat it's acidic breath out and nearly hit Strongwing on his way down. If the dragonnel had moved just a bit faster, he wouldn't have been able to stop before diving head first into the cloud of acid coming from the dragon's mouth.

The dragon shook it's head violently. Scarlett was still hanging on to her sword that was lodged in it's eye, but Sir Nicolas was standing on top of it's head with nothing to hold on to. He lost his footing and fell off, as he was falling he called out for Strongwing, who quickly swooped in to his rescue. "_Be more careful, Nicolas._" The dragonnel said. Sir Nicolas rolled his eyes. "_You can tell me off later, we have to save Scarlett. And retrieve my sword._"

The dragon was twisting and turning, and Scarlett was only barely holding on to her sword. Strongwing flew over the beast's head, and Sir Nicolas jumped off. He quickly moved to pull his sword out of the dragon's eye, but just as he got it out, the beast once again rolled around in air. He lost his footing and fell, just as he was about to call out to Strongwing again, a thin hand grabbed his armored wrist. He looked up at Scarlett, but before he could say anything, she had swung him back up the dragon's head. "Kill it!" She yelled.

Sir Nicolas raised his flaming sword, and plunged it deep in the back of the dragons head. He then let himself fall off the side of the beast while still holding on to the sword. He swung two thirds of the way around the dragon's neck before sword slid out of it. As he fell, he saw Strongwing swoop in and catch Scarlett. He saw the dragon, it's severed head only dangling on a piece of skin, crashing down somewhere in The High Forest.

Sir Nicolas sheathed his sword and spread his arms and legs out. He was falling down at an alarming speed because of his heavy armor, and right now all he could do was try his best to slow his fall, and hope that Strongwing would reach him in time. "Nicolas!" He heard Scarlett call out to him, he looked up and saw her. She was riding Strongwing and was holding his lance out, he had it tied to the saddle as it was nothing more than a hindrance when used on foot. Sir Nicolas took hold of the tip of the lance, and used it to pull himself in.

After getting himself safely back in the saddle, Sir Nicolas steered Strongwing towards Longsaddle. It was getting dark and they needed a place to stay, and the owner of one of the taverns was a good friend of his. The Harpell family and the Primion family, which was the family who lived in the Callisway Fortress, had always been on good terms. They landed by the entrance to the village, and rode in and made their way towards the Ivy Mansion where the tavern 'The Fuzzy Quarterstaff' was located.

"Nicolas, my friend, long time no see." They were greeted a young man. His long brown hair was set up in a loose ponytail. His frail body hidden behind a long, blue robe. It was the grandson of the current elder, Adanac Harpell, his name was Noreyth Harpell II. "Noreyth! It's good to see you again." He hopped off Strongwing and pulled the young wizard into a friendly embrace. "And who is this lovely young lady?" Noreyth looked at Scarlett, who avoided eye contact. "She is a friend of mine." Sir Nicolas walked over to help her down, but she simply jumped right off before he could even reach his hand out. "My name is Scarlett." She sent Noreyth a friendly smile. "Well, we can't stand here all day, I assume you came here to get a room?" Noreyth looked at them expectantly. Sir Nicolas nodded. "Yes we did, are there any unoccupied rooms?" Noreyth smiled and led them inside. "Of course there are, my friend."

As soon as they entered the tavern, Scarlett gasped. It was a beautifully decorated, circular room with tables scattered around in a seemingly haphazardly way that still kept people at a comfortable distance from each other. On each table there was a green crystal. Scarlett could hear people already sitting by a table ordering their drinks, which would be brought to them on a floating, blue disk. There was a calm, orchestral music in the room, though there weren't anyone playing any instruments. The invisible orchestra was conducted by a lone wizard in the far end of the room. "This place..." Scarlett had trouble taking it all in. Sir Nicolas nodded with a satisfied smile. "It is quite impressive, isn't it?"


	2. Chapter 2: The Prancing Centaur Inn

Sir Nicolas lay awake the whole night thinking. He thought back to the fight with the dragon, his thoughts focused on Scarlett. He'd fallen off the dragon's head, and she caught him. Despite the weight of his heavy breastplate, she'd caught his wrist and easily swung him onto the beasts head. How she'd managed that, he didn't know. There was no doubt about her skills with her sword, a big zweihander. Normally this weapon would be too heavy and unwieldy for a lady of her size, but she swung it with a grace only comparable to that of the greatest elven dancers. It was obvious that she was much stronger than she looked.

"Where is she hiding that strength?" He muttered. He would ask her, but he doubted he'd get much of an answer, she was very secretive when the talk was centered around herself. He still trusted the paladin, though he wished he knew just a little more about her. All he knew was her name, Scarlett Enescu. She was a paladin, who was traversing the land, following glimpses of memories from some sort of past life. He still wasn't sure what she meant by that, but out of chivalry he'd agreed to help her. At least on the way to Neverwinter.

The next morning they stood just outside the door to The Fuzzy Quarterstaff, saying their goodbyes to Noreyth. "I wish I could go with you, my friend." He said. "But I have work to do here." Sir Nicolas shook his hand. "Don't worry about it." He said. "Once you're done, you can message me, and I'll come pick you up soon as I can." Noreyth smiled. "I'm looking forward to it, friend." He looked to Scarlett. "And I hope I'll see you again, my lovely lady." Scarlett nodded. "It was nice meeting you, Noreyth." With one last goodbye, they got on Strongwing, and flew off towards Neverwinter.

"How far away are we, Sir Nicolas?" Scarlett asked. Sir Nicolas looked out into the horizon. After a few seconds he smiled. "Pretty close, Scarlett, I can see Neverwinter's spires already." He heard her breathe a sigh of relief. "Then let's get going." Sir Nicolas smirked. "Getting tired of riding?" Scarlett didn't answer. Sir Nicolas sighed and told Strongwing to speed up.

They reached Neverwinter in only a few hours, and they landed by the north-western gate. Sir Nicolas turned to Scarlett. "What was the name of the inn?" He remembered that they came here, because Scarlett had seen herself enter an inn in this city, though he never got the name. "The Prancing Centaur." She said. "It's by the docks." Sir Nicolas nodded. "I know where that is, but what do you hope to find in there, aside from thieves and cutthroats?" Scarlett sighed. "I wish I knew, but I don't. All I know is that I went in there in my past life, and I want to know why. And the only reason I can find out, is by repeating it." Sir Nicolas grunted. "Alright, I'll take you there." Where after he silently muttered "_Against my better judgment._" In Draconic.

They rode through the streets of Neverwinter, getting many strange looks from the people they passed. Sir Nicolas took it in stride, he was used to people looking at him like that when he rode through on his dragonnel. It was a rare sight to see a tame dragonnel, and Sir Nicolas had been through many towns and cities on Strongwing's back. Scarlett, on the other hand, seemed to sink into herself. She was looking down into the saddle, her head pressed against his back, as though she was trying to blend in with his armor. Her arms, that were slung around his waist, were squeezing so tightly, Sir Nicolas could actually feel his armor bending inwards. Once again, he found himself marveling at her strength. "Scarlett." He said. "Could you loosen your grip a little? You're bending my armor." Scarlett didn't seem to hear him, it was very clear that she didn't like crowds of people looking at her. Sir Nicolas sighed, and silently prayed to Tempus that they reach their destination before she'd crush him.

As they reached the inn, Sir Nicolas' armor was bent tightly against his stomach and chest, making his breathing very difficult. "Ok, we're here, Scarlett, you can let go now." Scarlett looked as though she only just realized she'd been holding on to him. "Oh, I'm sorry, Sir Nicolas. I wasn't thinking-" "It's fine, I'll have a blacksmith look at it later." He cut her off. "Let's just get this over with, I don't like this place."

As they entered, they were immediately greeted by the sound of music. Someone was playing a type of flute, the tones were gentle and soft, yet still easily audible over sound of people talking to, and shouting at, each other. As they looked to the far end of the simple, large, square room, they saw a man, dressed almost entirely in red, spinning and dancing around on a scene while playing an instrument Sir Nicolas didn't immediately recognize. In fact, he didn't even see it. His eyes were drawn to the animal running around his legs in a similar, dancing way as it's master. It was a cheetah.

Sir Nicolas raised an eyebrow. A tame wild cat was almost as rare a sight as his own tame dragonnel, he idly wondered how that man had managed to tame such a beast. His train of thought was interrupted by Scarlett. "His eyes." She whispered. Sir Nicolas looked at him, looked at his eyes, they were identical to those of the cheetah dancing around him. He looked at the musician in confusion, then he noticed that he was looking right into his eyes. The musician smiled and winked at him, then he ended his play, went off the stage and disappeared into the crowd.

"Who was that?" Sir Nicolas asked. Scarlett shook her head. "I have no idea. But he seems... Familiar..." She let the last word hang in the air while she thought it over, then she shook her head again. "I don't know." Sir Nicolas sighed. "Oh well, we'll find out later, I guess."

As they reached the bar in the far end of the room, next to the stage, they both stopped, shocked at the sight of the man behind it. He was absolutely huge! He looked like like an ordinary human, but he was at least twice the size. Sir Nicolas didn't think he'd be surprised by anything anymore, given the things he'd seen on his many adventures, but he was wrong. He just stood there, dumbfounded by this large man. "Wha'll it be, lad?" The large man spoke with a booming voice, as he looked down at Sir Nicolas, who quickly cleared his throat, and looked up at him with a dignity fitting of his noble heritage. "I'll have a glass of your finest wine, my good sir. And I'd like to have my steed put in the stables." The large man nodded. "Show me tha' horse, lad, an' I'll put 'im in tha' stables." He stepped over the bar, it was designed for a person around human height, so that wasn't a problem to him, and walked outside with Sir Nicolas.

"So then, lad." The large man said. "Wher's tha' horse?" Sir Nicolas smiled and shook his head. "It's not quite a horse." He nodded towards Strongwing, who stood just outside, waiting for his master. The giant looked at the creature for a few seconds, then looked back to Sir Nicolas. "You gotta dragonnel?" He said. When Sir Nicolas nodded, he laughed. "Well, it's a 'oner ta 'ave a rich man comin' to mah inn. I'll see to it tha' he gets tha' best meat we 'ave." Sir Nicolas smiled. "That's good to know, be gentle with him." The big man nodded. "Don' worry, lad, I'm as careful as a drag'n keepin' track o' its gold." Sir Nicolas turned around and walked towards the entrance. "I was talking to the dragonnel." The big man laughed. "I like ya, lad, ye've gotta good humor." He then picked Strongwing up, and threw him over his shoulder. Sir Nicolas could hear Strongwing fighting, biting and snarling as the large man carried him to the stables. _It'll take some time before he forgives me for that one._ Sir Nicolas thought to himself.

As he reentered the inn, he saw Scarlett sitting at a table in a corner, her preferred place in crowded areas, she was calmly drinking a glass of wine, an other glass was placed next her, filled with the same wine. He walked over and sat at the table. "I'll be back in a few seconds, my lady." He said to Scarlett, who nodded and continued drinking her wine. He walked to the bar and ordered a room. As he got the key, he went up the stairs and down the hallway until he reached a door with the same number as that on the key. He unlocked and entered the room. He quickly took his armor off, and breathed a long sigh of relief. He had been struggling to breathe since Scarlett had bent his chest plate. He looked at the bent chest piece, thankful that he was wearing it, or the damage would have been done to his own chest and ribs instead. He stuffed his armor into the Bag of Holding hanging from his belt, and went back downstairs.

Sir Nicolas sat at the table with Scarlett, and had just taken his glass and lifted it to his mouth, when the door was slammed open, and the huge bartender, covered in cuts and bruises, squeezed through it. "I gotta say, lad." He said when he reached Sir Nicolas' table. "Tha' is one tough little bugger, tha' one." He smiled at the two. "Don' worry, he settled down once he saw where I wus takin' 'im." Sir Nicolas smiled and nodded. "It's good to know he's ok, but about you? Are you sure he didn't cause too much trouble?" The big man laughed. "Not at all, lad, I'm fine. Put up a good fight, he did, but I've wrestled ogres an' won. So he wusn't a problem." With that, he excused himself and stepped over the bar to take his place once again. "The place has gotten awful quiet withou' music!" He yelled, clearly audible over the chatter of the people in the inn, all of which immediately quieted down when the large man spoke. "Beetle! When yer done flirtin' with ev'ry lady in the buildin', we'd appreciate tha' ye get back on tha' stage!" Scarlett and Sir Nicolas both looked in the direction the huge man was shouting, and they saw the red-clad man rise from a chair in the middle of the room. He looked at the people gathering around him, his feline gaze catching the eye of every person it met. He then looked directly at Scarlett and smiled. "I'll be there in a moment, Grorgos, I just have one more person to talk to."


	3. Chapter 3: A vision of the Past

Beetle sat down at the table, without asking permission first. Something that wouldn't bother most other adventurers, but Sir Nicolas was a noble at heart and of heritage, and he was bothered by it, though he chose to keep quiet. Beetle's feline eyes swiftly switched between the two, eagerly snatching up every detail they could give him. "Neither of you are from around here." He said. "You're not related by family either, and you're not lovers." Sir Nicoals spoke. "If this is what you came here to talk to us about, I suggest you move along, neither I nor my companion have time fo-" "Let him finish." Scarlett cut him off. She'd placed a hand on his shoulder, softly pushing him back in the chair. Sir Nicolas sighed and reluctantly complied. Beetle smirked, a feline purr rising from his throat. "I'm surprised to see one of the legendary Knights of Callisway be so awfully rude." The teasing tone in his voice was enough to anger Sir Nicolas, and it took all of his willpower not respond further. Scarlett wanted him to finish, and if Sir Nicolas was unable to keep mis mouth shut, that would never happen. Scarlett tilted her head. "Knights of Callisway?" Beetle nodded. "Yes, my dear, he is one of the mercenaries of Fort Callisway. And if I were to guess, I'd say he's one of their elite warriors, one of their knights." Scarlett looked to Sir Nicolas, who nodded. "That is correct."

Fort Callisway, a fortress located between Hillsfar and Yûlash. A fortress inhabited by several families of mercenaries, it was owned by Lady Swea Joyann Primion, Sir Nicolas' mother, and her husband, Zylros, a Half-Elf who married her after her first husband, Sir Nicolas' father, died. The fortress had roughly 2000 soldiers, all of which had different pasts and reasons to join the fort. Currently, 200 of these soldiers had shown the skill and courage neccesary to become one of the Knights of Callisway, the elite warriors, the most effective, and most expensive of the mercenaries. Many rogues and cutthroats would immediatly surrender when they saw that one the knights had been sent after them.

"How could you tell that I am a knight of Fort Callisway?" Sir Nicolas asked. Beetle smirked. "I saw you fight that dragon, and I can tell, just by listening to the way you talk, that you're no ordiary Dragon Slayer. Only very few people could go toe to toe with a fully grown black dragon and live to tell the tale. The only conclusion that made sense without including an abnormal ammount of magic, would be that you're a Knight of Callisway." Sir Nicolas nodded. "You're quite observant, Beetle, but I must ask you to come to the part of this conversation where you give us the reason for it to happen in the first place." Beetle nodded. "Alright then, the reason I came to you was so I could talk to my old friend here." He nodded toward Scarlett, who blinked in surprise.

"It's been so long..." Beetle looked into Scarlett's eyes. "I thought you died back then..." Sir Nicolas sent Scarlett a questioning look, to which she replied by shaking her head almost unnoticably. Beetle continued. "How did you survive?" Sir Nicolas realised what the bard was talking about. Scarltt had said that he looked familiar, and now he was talking to her as though they were old friends being reunited. "What exactly happened back then?" Sir Nicolas used the short break created by Beetle's question to cut in. The bard sent him a warm smile, though it was clear that he was bothered by the knight's interruption.

"Why do you want to know? I don't see how it's any of your business." Sir Nicolas was fast to respond. "I'm asking on behalf of both myself and Scarlett, as she seems to suffer from some kind of amnesia." Beetle raised an eyebrow and looked at Sir Nicolas. "Who's Scarlett?" Sir Nicolas was just about to answer, but was cut off by Grorgos' booming voice. "Beetle! I'm payin' ye ta' play on tha' stage! Not ta' steal tha' nobleman's gal!" Beetle looked at the two of them, who both shook their head in unison in response to his unspoken question, and then he put on that warm smile of his, a smile that drew the attention away from the irritation in his eyes. "I'm on my way, Grorgos." He got up from his chair, and looked at Scarlett. "We'll continue this conversation later, Sophitihia." With that, he walked towards the stage.

"Who's Sophithia?" Sir Nicolas looked at Scarlett. She wasn't moving, her gaze was frozen to the spot Beetle had been standing at when he said the name. "Scarlett?" He was getting worried. She normally wouldn't act like this. When they were riding through the streets of Neverwinter on Strongwing's back, she acted in a similar way, although still much different, she seemed to sink into herself, to try to hide from the many people staring at her. Now she just seemed paralyzed, he'd only seen her do this once before. Back when he'd first met her, back when she saw a glimpse of her past life. "Scarlett, what do you see?" He wasn't sure what to say to her. He wasn't sure if she would answer, if she could even hear him. But he'd traveled with a psychic once, and whenever she had a vision, he would still be able to communicate with her, and have her tell what she saw. "I'm standing at the entrance to this very inn." Scarlett responded. "Beetle is standing by my side, and on the other side... A man I don't know." Sir Nicolas was mildly surprised that she'd been traveling with Beetle in the past. "Who is this other man?" He asked. Scarlett shook her head. "I don't know... His skin is dark, and he's wearing a black cloak... I can't make out his face, it's hidden by his hood." Scarlett hesitated slightly. "He pulls out an orb made of crystal, and looks through it, he looks at every person in the inn, then he points at one of them." She got up from her chair, and pointed toward a table, where two people sat. One was an elf, wearing a simple, bright orange outfit, his long, white hair set up in a pony tail, reaching down to his red rope belt. On the other side of table was a woman, it was impossible to tell her race. She wore a long, black cloak, hiding her body without showing any skin, and black leather gloves hiding her hands. The hood on her cloak was drawn up, hiding her hair, and her face was hidden by a silver mask, bearing the crescent moon symbol of the elf god Corellon Larethian. The only way one could tell it was a woman was because the black outfit underneath her cloak revealed her feminine curves. "What happens then, Scarlett?"

Scarlett hesitated again. "I look at the woman he points out, it's a simple farmer woman. I use my blessed power to see whether or not she is follows the path of evil... I see that she does..." Sir Nicolas could easily guess what came next. He knew Scarlett well enough to know that she was barely able to stop herself from attacking once she found something evil. "We walk up to her, and ask her to come with us. She knows what we want, and she comes with us, she says she doesn't want to destroy this inn. She walks with us, as we leave the city, and walk a bit further away. Then she reveals her true form." She stopped talking, as though the words got stuck in her mouth. After a short pause, she continued. "Before any of us, maybe except for our cloaked companion, know what happened, the simple woman we walked with just before had turned into a demon. A Succubus. She knows she can't defeat the three of us, and as I and the cloaked man draw our weapons, and Beetle draws his ocarina and begins playing, she chants an incantation in a language I haven't heard before." Once again, she seemed to temporarily loose the ability to speak, as she pauses. "Suddenly, a large demon, a Balor, is standing in front of us. The battle is long and hard, in the midst of it, the Succubus disappears, and then..." She stopped talking. She looked at Sir Nicolas, who had been listening to her story with a growing interest. "With a mighty blow from the Balor's whip, I fall to the ground, and the demon's sword slashes through the air toward me... The next thing I see is the cloaked man fall to the ground, his head rolling a along the ground, followed by the Balor's head... I scream a name... Tizofel... The name of the cloaked man... Then I hear Beetle play a song on his ocarina, and the both of us disappear, just as the Balor explodes."

Sir Nicolas didn't know much about demons, but he knew that a Balor would explode in a bright flash of light, destroying everything within roughly one hundred feet. He looked at Beetle, as he stood there, playing on his ocarina, the crowd around him cheering and dancing. The cheetah was dancing around his legs as it had been when he first saw it. This man saved Scarlett's life back then, but if that was the case, then why did Beetle say he thought she'd died? He then remembered what he'd called her, Sophithia. He didn't know who Scarlett was. "So your name was Sophithia, back then?" Scarlett shrugged. "I would assume so." Sir Nicolas sent her a coy smile. "So, am I supposed to call you Sophithia from now on?" Scarlett shook her head. "No, it doesn't matter what my name was back then... I'm Scarlett now, and I'll stay that way for the rest of this life."

Sir Nicolas shrugged. "Which ever way you prefer it, milady, I need to go get some fresh air." With a nod from Scarlett, he left the inn, and walked through the streets of Neverwinter. As he walked, he repeated what Scarlett had told him in his thoughts. Not only had she been traveling with Beetle in her past life, but also another man. Tizofel. He had discovered a demon by looking through an orb made of crystal. Sir Nicolas had heard of crystal orbs that allowed people to see through magical disguises, and he assumed Tizofel had used such an orb. His thoughts were interrupted by a hand being placed on his shoulder, followed by a strong arm being slung around his waist, and him being forcefully dragged into an allyway.


	4. Chapter 4: The Imposter

Sir Nicolas struggled against the strong arms holding him, his noble pride keeping him from calling for help. "Unhand me, you scoundrel!" He heard laughter behind him. "If that's what you want, mate." He felt himself being flung through the air, colliding with a wall. He hit his head, and lost consciousness. When he woke up, he looked up at a man. The stranger looked a lot like himself, he had similar blue eyes, brown hair, even the scar on his left cheek was very similar to his own. In fact, the man standing before him was almost like a twin, the only thing that was out of place, was the cruel smile stretched across his face. "Who are you?" He was groggy from the hit to the head, but his voice was still loud and clear. The person in front of him smiled. "Well, for the next bit of time, I'll be you." Sir Nicolas looked his impersonator up and down. He really was a good copy. "But why?" He asked. The man kept his cruel smile, and spoke with an amused tone. "Well, you won't be going anywhere until I allow it, so I'll just tell you." Sir Nicolas tried to move, but found that he was unable to do so. There wasn't anything visibly binding him, but he could feel that he was being held back. As he struggled, his twin spoke "You've been traveling with my sister for a while now, and you've led her right to me. You have my thanks, but now, I will have to go and get her." Upon saying this, he turned on his heel, and walked off without another word.

Scarlett sat at the table, waiting for Sir Nicolas. She was patient, but he had been gone for almost an hour. She was starting to get worried. "Where is he?" She emptied her glass and walked outside. "He can't have left, he wouldn't." She said to herself, though she couldn't keep from glancing into the stables. Sure enough, Strongwing was still standing there, he didn't seem happy with his current position, but he wasn't complaining. He looked at her, then folded his right wing out and raised it in the air. It took some time for her to realize that he trying to mimic a person raising an arm in greeting. She smiled, amused by the dragonnel's attempt at mimicking the people around it, then she raised her arm in response to the greeting, and entered the stables.

"_How are you doing, Strongwing?_" Scarlett spoke in Draconic, the language of the dragons, a language that both Sir Nicolas and Strongwing shared. "_I'm doing just fine here, the big man serves me some quality meat._" The dragonnel answered, then, with an amused tone, added. "_Which I am sure will hurt the poor Nicoals' pouch of gold._" Strongwing emphasized the word 'poor' in a sarcastic tone, he knew very well that Sir Nicolas was rich enough that the prize wouldn't bother him much. "_I'm sure he'll be thrilled once Grorgos tells him the prize._" Scarlett said with a devious smile, then continued. "_Speaking of which, have you seen Nicolas? He's been gone for a while._" The dragonnel shook it's head. "_No, I thought he was with you._" Scarlett shrugged. "_He said he wanted to get some fresh air, but he's been gone for nearly an hour._" The dragonnel tilted it's head. "_It's very unlike Nicolas to just disappear like that, without taking me with him!_" He sounded almost insulted, though Scarlett could hear the slight joking tone in his voice. "I_ guess I'll just go and look for him. Stay there._" She left the stables, followed by Strongwing's glare. He was locked in, unable to leave, and they both knew that, Scarlett smiled at her own joke, then she spotted Beetle, leaving the inn. He walked a bit, then he tipped his large, red hat to a person walking by. A person Scarlett immediately recognized.

"Nicolas!" Scarlett called out to him, as she ran towards him. "Ah, Scarlett. It's good to see you." Sir Nicolas smiled warmly at her. "Where have you been?" "Oh, I just needed to stretch my legs, so I took a walk around town." Sir Nicolas responded. "But I could not go far, as your beauty called me back." He added this as he took her hand and kissed it. "Nicolas!" Scarlett pulled her hand out of his grasp. Sir Nicolas looked at her in disappointment for a second, but then quickly put on a suave smile, not much different from the one she'd seen Beetle give the young women he'd been flirting with. "Don't try to hide it, Scarlett." He pulled her into a warm embrace, and whispered in her ear. "You love me, just like I love you." Scarlett was about to push him away, but something stopped her. "You know that, just as well as I do." As much as she tried to push him away, to deny his words, she couldn't. Her body refused to obey her commands, her mouth refused to speak the words.

Sir Nicolas struggled against his invisible bonds, looking for something he could use to free himself. He was in a room. It looked like one of the many rooms one could rent in an inn. He managed to stand up with some difficulty, the invisible bonds were not preventing him from using his legs, at the very least. "Where am I?" He muttered these words as he wandered the small, nearly empty room, the only things in it were a bed, a chair and a table. The table was placed next to a window, through which he could hear the chatter of people as they walked by. He stepped towards the table, but stopped as he noticed the circle on the floor around it. It was a line drawn in around the table and chair, and was surrounded by runes. He knew about magical circles and runes that were used to protect areas, and that some of them had a tendency of exploding if someone stepped into them. He sighed in frustration, and sat down on the bed.

"N-Nicolas..." Scarlett no longer tried to pull herself out of the knight's embrace, instead she accepted it. She was starting to believe his words of love. She did not know whether she had always felt this way without realizing it, or if those feelings had just reached her through his words, but she didn't doubt that she had that feeling now. "It's... It's so sudden..." She tried to fight it, but she was unable to do so. "I apologize, but I just could not hold it back any longer." Sir Nicolas smiled at her. "I just had to tell you of my feelings." Scarlett was numbed by the surprise, and didn't even struggle, when Sir Nicolas pulled her into a tighter embrace. She barely noticed their lips meeting.

Sir Nicolas rose from the bed, unable to just sit still, and started pacing the room. He would have tried to kick the door down, but he noticed that it took had been encircled by what he assumed was some defensive spell. "You're in kind of a predicament, aren't you?" Sir Nicolas spun around on the spot, to face the voice behind him, and looked into the smiling face of his old friend. "Noreyth! You're a sight for sore eyes!" Noreyth chuckled. "Well, I've always had a good sense of timing, casting a scrying spell on you did also help a lot." Sir Nicolas blinked. "How long had you been looking at me while I was caught here?" "Long enough to see you get hauled face first into a wall." Noreyth laughed. "It was hilarious!" Sir Nicolas sighed and rolled his eyes. "Just get me out of here already."

Scarlett felt her knees getting weaker, it was getting increasingly difficult to stand. At the same time, Sir Nicolas seemed to be getting stronger, more forceful, he held her tightly, almost to the point of it being painful, but she hardly noticed it. The only that existed in her world at the moment, was him, herself and the growing affection she felt for him.

"I can't help but wonder..." Noreyth said, as they walked down the hallway. "Why didn't you just open the door? It wasn't even locked." Sir Nicolas grunted in annoyance. "Shut up, Noreyth." The young wizard laughed. "What? Was the big, strong knight scared of a few doodle on the floor? If you're that easy to fool, I'm surprised you have such a good reputation as an adventurer, I mean, really you- OW!" The wizard doubled over in pain, as Sir Nicolas rammed his elbow in his ribs. "I said, shut up, Noreyth." The wizard rubbed his sore ribcage, and sent his friend a teasing smile. "Alright, I yield. But a simple 'thank you for saving me, Noreyth' would be nice." Sir Nicolas didn't answer. "By the way, I didn't know you had a twin." Sir Nicolas looked at him in surprise, but then he remembered. "He's the on who captured me! Where is that scoundrel?" Noreyth shrugged. "Last time I saw him, he was just outside The Prancing Centaur, getting very intimate with your lady friend. What was her name again? Scarlett?" "Get me over there! Now!" Noreyth held his hands up. "Calm down Nicolas, I have a friend taking care of things, but if you insist, I'll get you there."

Just as Scarlett was starting to feel her legs losing their ability to hold her, she felt a pair of hands grabbing hold of her shoulders. She fell out of Sir Nicolas' grip, and hit the hard road. She looked up, and saw a woman pointing a long, slim rapier at Sir Nicolas' throat. The woman looked down at her. "That man is not your friend."

Scarlett looked at her, using the power every paladin has, to look into her very soul to see whether or not she was evil. Normally, those with an evil heart would shine when she used this ability, but the stranger didn't, instead she saw someone else, out of the corner of her eye, who did. Sir Nicolas stood completely still, looking expectantly down at her, waiting for her to move. But this wasn't the Nicolas she knew. She quickly got up, drew her sword and pointed it at the imposter. "Where is Nicolas? And who are you?" The imposter stared at her in apparent disbelief. "What? You're going to trust a stranger?" Scarlett was about to respond, but the sight of what happened behind him stopped her. It looked as though a door had appeared out nowhere, or rather, a door frame. There was no door, but rather an opening in thin air, that revealed a hallway. Through this opening she saw two people, one of them was Sir Nicolas, and the other was that wizard he'd introduced her to just yesterday. "Hello, scoundrel." Sir Nicolas said as he stepped through the opening. "I would like to have my sword back, if you please."


	5. Chapter 5: The Bard Joins The Party

Beetle Blackfeather had just left The Prancing Centaur, he spotted Sir Nicolas, who had accompanied Sophithia, and tipped his hat to him. He didn't feel like talking to the knight at the moment, as it was very clear he wasn't welcome in his company. He hardly noticed where he was going, his mind was caught up in his own thoughts. How could Sophithia still be alive? He had seen her die, seen her head rolling along the ground, just like with Tizofel a few months before. And now he runs into a lady who looks and talks just like her, but she claims her name is Scarlett. It couldn't possibly be the same person, but at the same time, it might be. He'd seen it in her eyes, she had recognized him, just as he had recognized her. But it wasn't possible, was it? He'd overheard Sophithia, or Scarlett, talk about a past life. Had she by some chance been revived? This was very possible, but at the same time lost her memories? He really doubted this. He had died in battle once before, and when he was revived, he remembered everything, especially the pain. He shuddered slightly at the memory, and shook his head to clear his thoughts.

He noticed that the uncomfortable memory had caused him stop. He felt a soft push at the back of his leg, the cheetah, he'd found shortly after Sophithia's death, had not noticed him stopping, and had bumped into him. It looked up at him in mild confusion. "It's nothing, I was just thinking." The cheetah tilted its head, knowing well enough that 'just thinking' wouldn't bother its master like this. Beetle sighed. "It's that woman, Scarlett, she... She bothers me." He looked around, not exactly sure where he was. He hadn't been looking, but he'd noticed the crowd thinning, even though the sun was still high in the sky. He'd wandered quite far away from the inn, in fact he'd reached another one, The Flowing Beverage. He was about to turn back when his keen ears caught the sound of a familiar voice. "Noreyth! You're a sight for sore eyes!" He turned and looked at one of the windows of the inn, he couldn't see anything from where he was, but there was no doubt about it, that was Sir Nicolas' voice.

Sir Nicolas stood face to face with... Well... Himself. There was no doubt about it, this man was a perfect copy, not 'almost' or 'very good' no, this one was perfect down to the last visible detail, even the clothes looked exactly like his own. He glanced at Scarlett, she looked completely and utterly confused. She held her large sword in one hand, a feat he himself would be unable to do, and pointed it at the fake. But there was still a slither of doubt in her eyes. Next to her stood an unknown woman, he assumed it was the 'friend' Noreyth had told him about. She had long, dark brown hair, similar to Scarlett, except it was slightly longer, and was tied up in a loose ponytail, whereas Scarlett let her hair hang freely. She held a long, thin rapier in one hand, and pointed it at the imposter's throat. The imposter looked him in the eyes, his face showing his surprise as clearly as the sun on the cloudless sky above them. "Well, scoundrel." Sir Nicolas spoke again, the imposter flinched slightly, almost unnoticeably, but Sir Nicolas noticed, and he loved it. "I still haven't gotten my sword back, would you give it to me peacefully, or are we going to take it by force?" Much to Sir Nicolas' surprise, the imposter smiled. "Alright." He said. "You win this one." He drew the sword, and dropped it on the ground. "But know this." He looked at Noreyth, and suddenly, almost instantly, he looked just like him. "I will be back." Even his voice sounded just like the wizard. He looked at Scarlett, and once again looked just like her. "You are not be safe." Once again, his voice sounded just like Scarlett's. He looked at the woman with the rapier, and changed into her. "You won't know where I am." He looked at Sir Nicolas, and changed into him again. "Or who I am." He smiled cruelly, and then he disappeared.

Beetle was sprinting back, he was fast, very fast, and he arrived back at the Prancing Centaur just in time to see Sir Nicolas looking at... Sir Nicolas? Wait, two? Why... What... How...? Before Beetle was able to say or do anything, one of the knights disappeared without a trace. Completely dumbfounded, Beetle walked over to the group of people, just as the Nicolas, who had remained with them, reached down for his sword. "Excuse me." The group looked at him, a woman he hadn't seen before, which was a surprise in itself, pointed her rapier at him, but Sir Nicolas stopped her. "He's a friend... Sort of." Beetle looked at the knight. "Alright, 'friend', tell me what just happened."

"So you mean to tell me..." Beetle said as Sir Nicolas finished his tale. "That some shape shifting person, who claims to be Sophi- excuse me, Scarlett's brother, showed up, attacked you and..." He shook his head, utterly confused. "What did he do again?" Scarlett sighed, it was obvious that she wasn't comfortable with this conversation. It wasn't a surprise for Sir Nicolas, she always acted like that when he tried to talk about her. "He walked up to me, looking exactly like Nicolas, and he..." She shook her head and took a step back, not saying anything else. "He kissed her." A young man, barely into his twenties, spoke. "He really got into it, she didn't seem too unwilling either, if you know what I mean." He chuckled, but a sharp glare from Sir Nicolas silenced him. Beetle looked at Scarlett in a combination of surprise and disgust. "You've kissed your own brother? That's just-" Just like the young man, Beetle was silenced by a sharp glare. But it wasn't Sir Nicolas this time, it was Scarlett. "I have no brother." The two looked at her in surprise. Sir Nicolas hadn't expected her to speak up, Beetle hadn't expected her to say those exact words. "Look." The young man spoke. "Can we talk about this in the inn? I'm pretty tired of standing around like this."

Sir Nicolas was sitting in his chair with Noreyth and his lady friend on one side, and Scarlett on the other. Beetle was sitting in front of him, on the other side of the table. They had agreed to return to the inn and talk it through. Beetle looked at the group of people in front of him, looking deep into each of their eyes, despite the distance between them. "I've gone on many travels in order to write a good story." The bard spoke, his voice clearly audible despite the loud noises around them. "And I must say, with what I've heard, and the group I'm looking at, I should be able to get a pretty good story out of this." Sir Nicolas raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?" Beetle smiled. "Well, I'm considering joining you, for the adventure. And I would like to find out more about Scarlett, just like you do." Sir Nicolas was about to respond, but he decided against it, he would hardly be able to have a conversation with this man without it ending horribly. Besides, he had a point, they both wanted to know more about Scarlett. What their reason was may not be the same, but they shared the same goal. "I think Scarlett should be the one the decide whether you join us or not." Noreyth said. "It is her journey, after all."

"I don't see what gives you a say in this, boy." Beetle said. There wasn't a hint of anger or annoyance in his voice, but it was clear that he did not like the young wizard. "Well, Beetle... Uh..." Noreyth hesitated. "Are you even a part of that group?" Beetle kept pressing him. He smiled triumphantly and was about to say more, but was interrupted by Scarlett. "Yes he is, as of now. It's always good to have a wizard with you. And he is a friend of Nicolas, which is probably the best reason." She looked into Beetle's eyes, and for the first time since Sir Nicolas met him, he seemed to shrink under her glare. "But I don't see why I should agree to bringing you along." Beetle looked at Scarlett, his feline eyes locking with her own. "You look exactly like a woman I once knew, a woman I saw die. And you're saying you're chasing glimpses of a 'past life'. You have many questions, Scarlett. And I might be able to bring you the answers." Scarlett blinked, her eyes lowering. Beetle smiled. "That is, if what you're saying really is true."

Scarlett raised her eyes and glared at him, about to snap back again. But Noreyth cut in before she had the chance. "So, now that it's settled." He said. "When do we leave?" He looked at his companions. "As soon as possible." Beetle said, clearly happy for this discussion to have ended. "Whenever you're ready." Scarlett muttered. Everyone looked at Sir Nicolas, who shrugged. "We'll have to stay a couple days, I still have to take my armor to a blacksmith." Beetle sighed in annoyance, Noreyth nodded in understanding and Scarlett just took a sip of her drink.


	6. Chapter 6: The streets of Neverwinter

Sir Nicolas looked up at the cloudy sky. He was surprised that the weather could change so drastically over the course of a single night. The blacksmith had told him he needed about a day to fix his armor, and now the young knight was wandering Neverwinter, wondering what he should do in the mean time. As he walked down the streets of the city, his mind kept returning to the Imposter. A person with the ability to look exactly like anyone, or at least that was to be assumed, as he... She... IT had transformed into not only Sir Nicolas himself, but also Scarlett, Noreyth and his female friend, who had later introduced herself as Mimi. He looked at the crowd around him, almost expecting to see the familiar cruel smile, or the evil glare. It had referred to Scarlett as its sister, he hadn't thought further about it then, but now as he thought back... Could it be? Just by her strength, it was clear that there was something more than human about her, though she looked like one... No, he trusted the Paladin without a second of doubt, but there was still a lot of things he didn't know about her. He shook the thought out of his mind and walked on with a faster pace.

Noreyth sat on his bed in the room Sir Nicolas had rented for him. It was early in the morning, and he would usually not get up this early unless he had work to do at the inn. But now, as he was out with his old friend again, and they needed to stay in Neverwinter for at least another day, he could sleep as long he wished to. But though he enjoyed sleeping, and would usually not hesitate to let a whole day pass without him leaving the comfort of his bed, should the chance arise, he couldn't fall asleep. He shrugged and decided to get dressed. If he couldn't sleep the day away, he might as well spend it exploring the large city. As he went downstairs to the main part of the inn, he quickly spotted the bright red clothing of Beetle, he was sitting at a table, flirting with a young lady, who could easily be half his age. Noreyth shook his head, bards will be bards. He looked to the far corner of the room, it was difficult to see through the crowd of people, but he could barely make out the familiar face of Scarlett. She was chatting with Mimi, his own companion. He nodded in silent greeting at the two ladies, who responded with a polite smile, and left the inn, not giving the bard a second glance. Though he could feel his feline eyes on him as he left.

As he walked through the city of Neverwinter, Noreyth took in everything. The sights, the sounds, they were everywhere and all around. All of his senses were flooded, the sound of chatter from people all around him, the scent of several foods and spices being sold by merchants, the people walking by, humans, halflings, elves, gnomes, orcs, there seemed to be no limit to the variety of the people in this city, all of which were headed somewhere in a hurry. Noreyth hadn't been in a big city in a long time, and last time he was, it had been the city of Waterdeep further south. He could tell that the streets of this city were not quite as busy as those of Waterdeep, but there was definitely still a lot of people here. The young wizard placed a hand over his pouch and moved on.

Mimi sat at a table in the very corner of The Prancing Centaur Inn. In front of her, at the other end of the otherwise empty table sat Scarlett. They were engaged in a conversation, about nothing in particular. The subjects of their conversation ranged from each of their past adventures, to what they would do in between said adventures and to the patrons in the very inn they sat in. Mimi had known Noreyth for a few years. They had encountered each other on the young wizard's very first adventure on his own, without the aid of his friend, Sir Nicolas. He had stumbled into a cave, and if it hadn't been for her, he would've met his untimely demise there, surrounded by goblins. After barely making it out of the cave in one piece, Noreyth took her to his home, The Fuzzy Quarterstaff, a tavern owned by wizards. Before meeting Noreyth, she had never had a place to call home, but the young wizard offered her a place to stay, which she gladly accepted. Now, when she wasn't out adventuring with Noreyth, she would spend her time helping out in the tavern. Scarlett, on the other hand... Wouldn't say much about herself. All Mimi could get out of her was that she had encountered Sir Nicolas while chasing memories of a past life. Normally, she wouldn't have trusted someone telling a story like that, or being as secretive as that, but according to the knight, Scarlett was a Paladin. And she could indeed feel, if not see, the radiant glow often associated with the holy warriors. But behind that glow... She could also feel... Something else...

"Well well well." Someone spoke, a squeaky, sneering voice. "What have we here? Some kinda rich guy, eh?" Sir Nicolas didn't answer, he didn't even turn his head toward the sound of the voice. "He's wearin' tha clothes for it, boss" Another voice, much deeper, and as it spoke, Sir Nicolas could smell the alcohol in its owner's breath. "Of course, you idiot!" The first person spoke again. "Just grab 'im and we'll... 'Negotiate' some money outta 'im." Sir Nicolas sighed. He knew this would happen at some point, what possessed him to stroll down further into the slums of this city anyways? He heard large footsteps behind him, and prepared himself for their attack. He quickly took a long step forwards, and felt large fingers run down his back. He couldn't have timed it better. He whirled around, drawing his sword and pointing it at the large man he was facing. For second he thought it was Grorgos, the owner of the Prancing Centaur Inn, but this man was not nearly as tall. He was still a big man, currently fumbling around, trying to get a club out of a belt that barely reached around his large belly. Next to him was a much smaller man, holding a small crossbow and pointing it at the knight. "Alright, rich man, we just want some money." He raised his crossbow, pointing it right at Sir Nicolas' throat. "Put that sword down, so I don't have ta' put a bolt in ya."

The young girl giggled at the joke Beetle had just told, she was quite the good looking lady. Fair skin, long, blonde hair, blue eyes, a rather voluptuous bosom, seeming slightly out of place on her otherwise thin, lithe body, and then she had a wonderfully soft voice. The bard wouldn't have minded spending the rest of this day with her, but his thoughts were currently elsewhere, and his feline eyes were stilled locked on the door the young wizard Noreyth had just left through. A few other people had come and gone in the passing minutes, mostly not anyone he knew, except for a few of the ladies, but neither Sir Nicolas nor the wizard... What was his name again? Noreyth? Yes that was it... The knight had been gone for a while, it was a big city and it was easy to get lost in the streets. Not that Beetle would be bothered by either of them disappearing, it was clear that Nicolas didn't trust him, the exact reason was unknown, but it was made very clear. Noreyth, on the other hand... Beetle didn't trust him. He generally didn't trust wizards, or just about any other practitioners of arcane magic. Not after what happened with Sophithia... "... Eetle? Beetle! Are you listening?" The soft voice of the lady beside him snapped him out of his thoughts. "Sorry, my dear, I wasn't. Would you excuse me for a moment? I need some fresh air." Without another word, he got up and left the inn. Leaving the beautiful blonde behind.

"Well, rich man, which one'll it be? You hand over that nice, full pouch of yours, or I waste a bolt on killin' you and take it from yer cold, dead hands?" The small man with the crossbow spoke, still aiming his weapon at Sir Nicolas' throat. "Yeah, what'll it be?" The big man said, still struggling with his club. Sir Nicolas sighed and untied his pouch, the rattling of coins was very audible. "That's the stuff. Just toss it over and take a few steps back." Sir Nicolas held his pouch out, lifted his arm, and hurled it right in the small man's eyes, at the same time he leaned sideways, narrowly dodging the crossbow bolt zipping past his head. The small man was knock off balance by the impact, and the surprise of what just happened. With a roar the big guy lunged forwards, having finally gotten the club out of his belt, he held it high, and swung it down at the knight's head. Sir Nicolas quickly leapt forwards, landing right on top the small guy, knock the air out of his lungs. The knight quickly picked his pouch up, and rolled a few feet forwards, before getting up and turning to face his foes.

"I suggest you run, thieves, before I let the streets flow with your blood." With that, he raised his sword, ready to strike. The small man got up, coughing and gasping for air. He looked at his crossbow, he knew he wouldn't have time to reload it, even if his companion attacked the knight while he was doing it. They all knew Sir Nicolas would make short work of this big man armed only with a club. Sir Nicolas smiled triumphantly. "I've no time for petty thieves, so if you leave now, I will spare your miserable lives." The two thieves got the message, and ran off. Sir Nicolas sheathed his sword, and started making his way back to the inn.


End file.
